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Summary of the impact

A device developed for spintronics research at the University of Oxford
has been adapted as the basis for robust, high-performance position or
composition sensors to detect many different materials including metals,
plastics, ceramics and fluids. These sensors are capable of making
contactless measurements in very hostile environments. A spin-out company
was formed in 2004 to exploit and apply this technology to a wide range of
technical and engineering problems and has achieved over £2.5m revenue.
These sensors form the key elements of products that have been
successfully deployed in automotive and other transport applications.
Benefits to end users include ease of use, speed and the cost savings.

Underpinning research

The underpinning research was funded by a collection of four European
Commission network grants (HotSEAMS, Tunnelsense, Dynaspin, Nanomem)
between 1995 and 2001 in which Professor John Gregg (appointed to Oxford
as Lecturer in 1984) was either Coordinator or Co-Investigator. Professor
Gregg's group also included postdoctoral research assistants W. Allen
(student 1995-1999 then PDRA 1999-01) and M. Thornton (PDRA 1999-2001) and
drew on the skills of R. Bendall, head of the Clarendon workshops in
Oxford Physics.

This research was in the field of Spintronics — specifically the Giant
Magnetoresistive (GMR) behaviour of thin magnetic sandwiches, thin
granular magnetic films and magnetic tunnel junctions — and the magnetic
dynamics of nanoscale magnetic elements. A question arose as to the
mechanism that underlies the electrical resistance of a ferromagnetic
domain wall. This was a subject of controversy in the 1960's and two
competing models were advanced to explain the effect. In 1996, the Oxford
Spintronics group and their York and Strasbourg collaborators developed a
new model based on the same spin-dependent scattering that causes GMR. To
test these models rigorously through experiments, the global magnetic
switching properties of thin film samples first had to be characterised.
However, existing magnetometer devices were neither fast nor sensitive
enough for these systems and a SQUID would have been impractical (e.g.
requiring cryogenic conditions) and overcomplicated. In order to address
this problem, Prof Gregg's group in Oxford developed a novel, highly
sensitive radiofrequency circuit that responded to changes in each of the
two components of magnetic susceptibility of the films as they switched.
This circuit consisted of a resonant, positive feedback system that was
designed, refined and constructed in Oxford Physics and drew directly on
Prof Gregg's expertise in the properties and behaviour of entire analogue
electronic circuits.

With this new magnetometer, custom samples were validated quickly,
effectively and without risk of damaging them, so they could be further
investigated with confidence. As a result, quantitative agreement of the
model with experiment was successfully demonstrated [1] and this is now
the accepted model of domain-wall resistance. The high sensitivity of this
circuit enabled a number of other applications within spintronics
research, including for characterisation of granular GMR films during
annealing in the growth chamber and for fast characterisation of the phase
diagram of colossal magnetoresistive (CMR) material [2].

However, the very precautions necessary to shield these measurements from
external influences suggested to Professor Gregg the potential to adapt
the circuit to make a mechanical sensor that could detect the presence and
motion of a moving object. The object could be magnetic, metallic or
insulating, depending on the precise configuration of the circuit and
whether spintronic material was incorporated, and crucially would not need
to be tagged with additional components.

This approach was developed within an EC network project, HotSEAMS,
coordinated by Professor Gregg. The new mechanical sensor device was
reported at the Network's mid-term meeting in 1998, at which the challenge
was set to demonstrate it by carrying out a practical function. A
demonstrator was therefore produced by the Oxford group that successfully
applied the device to control the ignition-timing function on a
second-hand 5 litre Mercedes V8 M117 engine. This showed that the new
sensor gave rise to less ignition skipping than the standard Bosch
variable-reluctance sensor, which was known to be prone to this problem at
low speed.

In 2001, Isis Innovation (the University of Oxford's technology transfer
office), conscious of the wide range of applications of the device [3],
filed a set of patents describing the sensor with Professor Gregg as sole
inventor. These patents were granted in 2006 in the EU, US and Japan [4].

References to the research

1. *J.F. Gregg, W. Allen, K. Ounadjela, M. Vieret,
M. Hehn, S.M. Thomson and J.M.D. Coey (1996). Giant magnetoresistive
effects in a single element magnetic thin film. Phys. Rev. Lett.77
1580. DOI:10.1103/PhysRevLett.77.1580.
This paper, with collaborators in Strasbourg, Dublin and York, reported
the first direct observation of ferromagnetic domain wall scattering,
and proposes the new model, based on measurements using the new device.

Details of the impact

The realisation that this was a significant platform technology with
applications in multiple domains led to the formation of the spin-out
company Oxford RF Sensors in September 2004. Oxford RF Sensors was renamed
Salunda in 2013 to reflect a new business strategy in oilfield
applications. During the assessment period, January 2008 to July 2013,
Salunda employed an average of 14 people.

The company's business model, to exploit this invention in novel sensing
devices, has been underpinned by an exclusive licence to the patents.
Salunda summarise the contribution from the research in this way:

"The research conducted by Prof Gregg and his collaborators at the
Department of Physics has become the core technology at Salunda, without
which the company would not have been formed and none of these projects
would have been possible." [A]

Approximately 90% of Salunda's revenues during the assessment period came
from the development of bespoke sensors for clients in the road transport,
aerospace and oil and gas industries. A further £336k revenue came from
sales of two fully-manufactured products that Salunda (as Oxford RF
Sensors) had developed and commercialised. The impact of these devices
spans two main areas, reflecting their ability to detect either position
or — if measuring at a pre-determined position — composition, both through
changes in susceptibility within a given volume around the device. Salunda
explain, "the ability to provide non-contact sensors that can work in
extremely harsh environments has been a major competitive advantage and
this core technology arose directly from Prof Gregg's contribution"
[A].

Position and speed sensors

An aftermarket speed sensor for turbine blades in automotive turbo
chargers was developed and manufactured for the market-leading supplier
[text removed for publication]. This allows the rotational speed of
turbine blades to be measured, without having to attach any physical
target to a blade, so that performance can be more accurately monitored.
In turn, this allows the speed to be controlled to stay within design
limits, preventing damage or reduction in performance. This device was
launched in 2007 as the Turbocharger Speed Sensor TS-180. The primary
market for these devices has been motorsport, particularly rally car
racing, and several hundred are now in use by racing teams.

In a major project, worth £2.35m in revenue to Salunda between 2008 and
July 2013 [A], sensors were developed for a major aircraft engine
manufacturer [text removed for publication]. These sensors measured tip
clearance and speed in the intense environment of commercial jet engines
that operate at temperatures in excess of 1000°C. Another R&D project
developed position sensing of piston and spool in rock drills, for a
leading supplier of construction equipment [text removed for
publication].

Analysis of fuel content and level

Salunda developed a hand-held sampling device that uses the sensor
technology to measure the biofuel content and contamination of biodiesel,
in collaboration with [text removed for publication], a top-tier supplier
of parts to the automotive industry. It measured composition against the
EN590 standard for automotive diesel fuel in Europe, which permits up to
7% biodiesel. The product was marketed from 2010 as the Delphi YTD533
Diesel Analyser Kit and was nominated for the 2011 Equip Auto Innovation
Awards [B]. Over 550 of these products have been sold since their launch
[A], for uses including the following:

To address a critical issue in the haulage industry, where fuels may
come from a variety of different sources and significantly affect engine
performance and maintenance. The ability to sample fuel content
immediately using unskilled labour removes the need for laboratory based
sample analysis. Control of this issue also leads to considerably
improved air quality and the reduction of harmful emissions.

To give easier diagnostics of problems with diesel engines by enabling
checks of diesel composition. Since only a small sample volume (46ml) is
required, measurements can be taken from different parts of the fuel
system to identify where any contamination occurs. For example, a case
study in an industry publication (sponsored in part by the supplier)
quoted one garage owner investigating warranty claims:

"Using the fuel analyser, we were able to quickly and easily identify
the fuel in the system did not meet EN590 and consequently was the
likely cause of defect. Not only did it save our company lost earnings
in un-claimable labour hours, but reaffirmed the quality of our repair
and reputation." [C]

A number of commercial garages and workshops advertise this facility to
their customers, including a depot in Bristol who describe that "unlike
most other fuel testing services, this is fast and efficient enough to
determine warranty stipulations" [D] and another in Nottingham who
identify an advantage in getting "immediate and accurate results
without the need to send samples to a specialist laboratory for
analysis, saving both time and money" [E].

Revenue to Salunda also arose through development projects for other
clients [A], including

Condition monitoring of the AdBlue diesel additive in trucks for a
manufacturer of car and truck components [text removed for
publication]

Measurement of dissolved or entrained gas content and hydraulic fluid
levels in landing gear for an aircraft manufacturer [text removed for
publication]

Measurement of aviation fuel levels and detection and quantification
of water in fuel, for a `Tier One' supplier to the aviation and
automotive industries [text removed for publication]

Investment attracted

In July 2013, Salunda raised substantial further investment to develop
sensors for oilfield applications, having already established
collaborations with leading suppliers of oilfield services and
technologies (such as) [text removed for publication].

Sources to corroborate the impact

All claims of sales by and financial benefit to Salunda, including
during time as Oxford RF Sensors, and reliance on research at Oxford: